“I don’t share your belief in Father MacRae’s innocence. I just don’t believe a judge and jury would sentence a priest to life in prison with anything less than clear and compelling evidence.”

The above quote was the reply of a prominent American Catholic writer when I challenged him to take a closer look at the trial and imprisonment of Father Gordon MacRae. There is nothing to be gained by publishing the writer’s name. I still hope he might accept my challenge to study this matter with more depth than the New Hampshire news media and priests of the Diocese of Manchester have given it. I have asked the writer to show me the evidence he feels so certain must exist. He is wrong about this. There is simply no factual evidence to support this conviction.

But for some, the absence of evidence is evidence of evidence. That Catholic writer’s presumption about evenhanded justice and due process reflects the naiveté of the innocent and just. I once shared such naiveté, but I have since learned that ignorance is not bliss. I know too much about this case to cling to any delusions that everyone in prison must be guilty, or that a Catholic priest, while actually innocent, could not be railroaded into prison based on false witness.

So does The Wall Street Journal’s Dorothy Rabinowitz, one of the most just and courageous journalists I know. She has a talent for enabling readers to place themselves in the shoes of the falsely accused, and it’s a terrifying place to be. A recent article, “On Woody Allen and Echoes of the Past” (WSJ.com, February 9, 2014), had that same effect. It isn’t long, but it’s compelling and powerful.

Despite its title, the article’s great power is in its depiction of falsely accused men and women – such as Violet, Cheryl, and Gerald Amirault of Massachusetts and Kelly Michaels of New Jersey – who were ripped from ordinary lives to be tried and sent to prison because of trumped up charges, lots of media hype, and the ambitions of prosecutors.

These same people were profiled inNo Crueler Tyrannies (WSJ Books, 2005), a book by Dorothy Rabinowitz that has opened many eyes, including mine. She found a common denominator among those falsely accused and betrayed by the justice system during the “child terror” prosecutions of the 1980s and 1990s, the same era, and the same terror, that convicted Father MacRae. Rabinowitz wrote,

“Those who are falsely accused often naively believe that their innocence is obvious, that the allegations will be dropped.”

In “Judge Arthur Brennan Sentenced Fr Gordon MacRae to Die in Prison,” I wrote that plea deals work well for the guilty but not for the innocent. The guilty come before the justice system prepared to limit punishment by accepting any reasonable plea deal offered. The innocent cannot fathom such twisted justice, and therefore often spend far more time in prison than the guilty.

For preserving his right to a presumption of innocence and a fair trial – though he got neither, as you will see, from either Church or State – Father Gordon MacRae was sentenced by Judge Arthur Brennan to more than 30 times the sentence offered by prosecutors in the plea deal he refused. As I wrote in part one of this article last week, it is a perversion of justice that, had he been actually guilty, this priest would have been released from prison 17 years ago.

THE LIE DETECTOR DISASTER

In the above article, Dorothy Rabinowitz cited that some of the innocent accused were anxious to take lie detector tests (aka polygraphs). Those who passed them, however, did so to no avail as prosecutors refused to consider, or even hear, the results. Father MacRae also voluntarily submitted to two lie detector tests conducted by an expert who reviewed the claims of Thomas Grover and his brothers, Jonathan and David Grover, who also accused the priest for settlement money from his diocese. I have repeatedly called upon MacRae’s accusers to agree to lie detector tests, a challenge met only with silence.

Had Father MacRae failed the polygraphs administered before his trial, you can be certain that fact would have found its way into court, or at least into the newspapers. He passed them conclusively, but the results were ignored, and not only by state prosecutors. The most difficult act of suppression to comprehend came from his bishop and diocese.

Defense attorney Ron Koch (pronounced “Coke”) often appeared to be as naive and trusting as his client. He seemed to believe that the Diocese of Manchester might be more inclined to defend its priest if clarity about his innocence could be established. However passing pre-trial lie detector tests, and making that fact known, actually proved disastrous for the defense of Father MacRae.

Within weeks of the defense lawyer’s effort to have polygraph results reviewed by Church lawyers, the Diocese of Manchester issued a press release that inflicted a mortal wound to MacRae’s civil and canonical rights. Plastered in the news media throughout New England before jury selection in his trial, this press release destroyed his defense in the court of public opinion, and influenced jurors in the court of law:

“The Bishop and the Church are saddened by and grieve with the victims of Gordon MacRae…and he was ultimately removed from his status as one who could ever function as a priest again…The Church is a victim of the actions of Gordon MacRae as well as the individuals… [The Diocese] will defend its officials who have been falsely accused [and] it will continue to cooperate in bringing those who have harmed others to light.” (Bishop of Manchester Press Release, Sept. 11, 1993)

Canonical Advocate, Father David Deibel, J.C.L., J.D., protested this gross violation of Church law and civil liberties. He was reportedly told that the press release “was a carefully crafted statement meant to respond to media concerns” about the MacRae case. When defense attorney Ron Koch called to protest, he was told that Father MacRae was the sole priest to have been so accused in the Diocese of Manchester.

Nine years later, officials for the Manchester Diocese worked out a plea deal of their own to avoid a misdemeanor charge based on a theory of law the state’s Attorney General admitted was “novel.” The published files as a result of that deal revealed that 62 New Hampshire priests had been accused, and some $23 million changed hands in mediated settlements. For his first six years in prison, 17 miles from the Chancery Office of the Diocese of Manchester, Father MacRae was summarily abandoned. The company line was that it was MacRae himself who refused to be visited in prison by any priest. The bitter refusal was reportedly issued through unnamed third parties who have never been identified. However, the prison’s Catholic chaplain during Father MacRae’s first years in prison saw this differently:

“I have been told by priests that Diocesan officials claimed that Father MacRae refused, through unnamed third parties, to be visited by a priest…During my tenure as chaplain, no one representing the diocese ever asked me to arrange a visit with Father MacRae [who] indicated to me he would welcome such contacts….It remains my belief that Father MacRae is for some reason viewed differently from other priests that are, or have been, incarcerated.” (Prison Chaplain John R. Sweeney, Sept. 20, 2004).

BISHOP’S DELEGATE MONSIGNOR EDWARD ARSENAULT

Two years ago, I wrote an article for Spero News entitled “To Azazel: Father Gordon MacRae and the Gospel of Mercy.” It was about some shockingly uncharitable conduct toward this imprisoned priest, but the offenders were not other prisoners trying to make names for themselves in the brutal prison culture. They were priests of the Diocese of Manchester.

In the year 2000, however, Diocesan interest in Father MacRae was radically altered when it became known that two media giants, Dorothy Rabinowitz at The Wall Street Journal, and PBS Frontline, expressed interest in the facts of this case. You may read for yourselves the manipulation aimed at this imprisoned priest, and the devastation of his rights in my article, “Bishop Takes Pawn: Plundering the Rights of a Prisoner Priest.”

Throughout this period, the official Delegate (2000 until 2009) for the Bishop of Manchester was Monsignor Edward Arsenault. His published resume reveals that he personally negotiated mediated settlements in 250 claims against Diocese of Manchester priests. At the same time, Monsignor Arsenault was wearing another hat – some might say a highly conflicting one.

While negotiating settlements in the MacRae case and hundreds of others on behalf of the Diocese of Manchester, Arsenault was also Chairman of the Board of the National Catholic Risk Retention Group, an organization underwriting insurers of Catholic institutions and dioceses across the U.S. It is unclear which of these hats Monsignor Arsenault was wearing when he negotiated this typical round of mediated settlements described in David F. Pierre’s 2012 book, Catholic Priests Falsely Accused:

“In 2002, the Diocese of Manchester, New Hampshire, faced accusations of abuse from 62 individuals. Rather than spending the time and resources looking into the merits of the accusations, ‘Diocesan officials did not even ask for specifics such as the dates and specific allegations for the claims,’ New Hampshire’s Union Leader Reported. ‘Some victims made claims in just the past month and because of the timing of negotiations, gained closure in just a matter of days,’ reported the Nashua Telegraph. ‘I’ve never seen anything like it!’ a pleased and much richer plaintiff attorney admitted.” (Catholic Priests Falsely Accused, p. 80)

In 2001, Monsignor Edward Arsenault developed a policy statement for the Diocese of Manchester. As Bishop John McCormack’s Delegate, Monsignor Arsenault published the “Diocese of Manchester Statement of Rights and Obligations of Persons Accused of Sexual Misconduct.” The document was straightforward, and listed, in accord with Canon law and Diocesan policy, the rights of the accused and the obligations of the Diocese:

The Delegate (Monsignor Edward Arsenault) will:

Inform the person being interviewed of the process to be used;

Inform the person being interviewed what information will be shared with whom;

Inform the person being interviewed that he [the Delegate] is acting in the external forum on behalf of the Bishop of Manchester;

Inform the person being interviewed that any and all information disclosed will be treated with discretion, but not subject to confidentiality…

Rights of the Person Accused: The accused cleric or religious has:

The right not to implicate oneself;

The right to counsel, civil and canonical;

The right to review the results of one’s own psychological evaluations;

The right to know what has been alleged and to offer a defense against the allegations;

The right to know and understand the review process;

The right to discretion in the conduct of the investigation and to have his/her good name protected.

Over the next three years as the Diocese of Manchester submitted individual cases to the Vatican’s Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, every tenet of the above statement of rights was silently ignored or outright violated by Monsignor Arsenault and officials of the Diocese of Manchester in regard to the case of Father MacRae.

No investigations took place. No interviews took place. The imprisoned priest’s repeated requests for details of what has been represented in Rome in regard to this case have been ignored, and no right of defense has been honored. The promised assistance of legal counsel was never acted upon. Repeated and documented requests from Father MacRae that Bishop John McCormack and Monsignor Arsenault agree to confer with his Canonical Advocate to assure his rights under Church law were refused.

In the ultimate insult, when Monsignor Arsenault finally did agree to consult Father Deibel, the canonical advocate, he reportedly told the priest that, should Father MacRae be involuntarily laicized, “I’m sure Bishop McCormack will still send him $100 a month” to survive in prison. The suggestion that this was MacRae’s sole concern for the future of his priesthood left him feeling humiliated and violated.

A promise by Bishop McCormack to set aside $40,000 for Father MacRae’s appellate defense – on the condition that he set aside contacts with Dorothy Rabinowitz and The Wall Street Journal – was instead used to hire counsel to bypass MacRae’s lawyers and investigators, and to conduct a secret review of his trial and any chance of overturning the convictions. To this day, Monsignor Arsenault and the Bishop of Manchester have ignored requests to share that review with the wrongly imprisoned priest’s defense team struggling to afford his day in court.

REMEMBER THOSE IN PRISON AS THOUGH IN PRISON WITH THEM (Heb. 13:3)

In 2009, Monsignor Edward Arsenault was appointed Executive Director of Saint Luke Institute, a nationally known facility in Maryland for the psychological treatment of priests. Bishop John McCormack was the sole U.S. bishop on the Saint Luke Institute Board of Directors at the time Monsignor Arsenault took leave from the diocese to assume the post with an annual salary of $170,000.

Earlier this month, on February 4, 2014, the news media announced that Monsignor Edward Arsenault has accepted a plea deal to plead guilty to three felony charges. He was indicted on multiple counts, and has agreed to plead guilty to the theft of thousands of dollars from the Diocese of Manchester while serving as Chancellor and Bishop’s Delegate, from Catholic Medical Center Hospital where he served on its Board of Directors, and from the estate of a deceased priest of the Manchester Diocese for which he served as Executor. According to news reports, the theft of funds from the Diocese of Manchester continued until 2013, four years after Monsignor Arsenault began his $170,000 a year post at Saint Luke Institute.

The plea deal Monsignor Arsenault has entered into forgoes trial and any testimony under oath. The exact number of felony charges and the exact amounts of stolen funds involved have not been made public, and possibly never will be. The New Hampshire Attorney General stated that the plea deal, and the minimum four year prison sentence Monsignor Arsenault has agreed to, are in “recognition of the extensive cooperation of the defendant,” and in anticipation of his continued cooperation in the ongoing investigation of “improper financial transactions.”

The investigation into financial wrongdoing was launched, according to news sources, when the Diocese began investigating a “potentially inappropriate adult relationship.”

For at least the next four years, Monsignor Edward Arsenault will share the same prison as Father Gordon MacRae, a priest who – armed only with the truth and his faith – refused plea bargains to face the cruelest of tyrannies, wrongful imprisonment. This is the priest against whom Monsignor Edward Arsenault and his prosecutorial friends have worked so arduously, and in secret, to undo and discard.

About Fr. Gordon J. MacRae

The late Cardinal Avery Dulles and The Rev. Richard John Neuhaus encouraged Father MacRae to write. Cardinal Dulles wrote in 2005: “Someday your story and that of your fellow sufferers will come to light and will be instrumental in a reform. Your writing, which is clear, eloquent, and spiritually sound will be a monument to your trials.” READ MORE

Comments

Well, what goes around, comes around. Monsignor Arsenault was sentenced this past week to four years and restitution of almost $300,000. That’s money he stole from the Diocese of Manchester and a priest’s estate to fund, at least partially, his homosexual lover.

And do we still believe that he was honest in how he treated priests accused of crime? when he was leading a double life? when he was committing crimes himself?

How sad, in reading the statement from the Diocese, that Aresenault is said to have “made mistakes” — really? Willfully stealing money for years, forging a bishop’s initials, engaging in a homosexual relationship — those are mistakes? Sounds more like calculated abuse of power and wilful sin to me. But we shouldn’t be surprised that all this is glossed over as ‘mistakes’, Aresenault is part of the old boy’s club. They protect their own. Was Fr. Gordon accused of ‘mistakes’? No, he was thrown to the wolves by his diocese.

Monsignor Arsenault, it is pointed out in the statement, was in an “inappropriate relationship”. Go to the local paper’s website and you can see a picture and the name of his gay lover. Was Fr. Gordon painted with the same euphemisms by the diocese ?

The double standard is sickening and, dare I say it, cries out for the vengeance of God. It will come; that we know. Some day, all of the people who abuse episcopal power in the Church will stand before God and have to give an account. I pray for mercy on their souls. In the meantime, we must hold fast with faith. These are trying times for the Church and for the priesthood. Fr. Gordon MacRae has been made a fragrant sacrifice before the Lord. May God continue to sustain you, Father.

Let us hope that ecclesiastical justice will be done, that Mons. Arsenault will be subjected to a proper, fair, canonical penal process in the Church. No need to cook the books on this one. His is a case, I would argue, that calls for a return to the lay state.

Bravo, Father! Your honest courage speaks well of you and your priesthood. I have been shocked and alarmed by all that has transpired over the last two days, and especially by the lack of connection with Father MacRae’s case and with this article by anyone in the New Hampshire Diocese. The narrative of the investigation on the Diocese’ website is most interesting. It opens with a statement that nothing could be said to date because Monsignor Arsenault’s rights under Church law and civil law must be protected. Where then is any explanation for how those same rights could be obliterated in the case of Father MacRae by his bishop and Church lawyers who condemned him in public view before jury selection in his trial? And has anyone noticed the photo that has been appearing in newspapers over the last day? Is it usual practice for an attorney-general prosecutor to shake the hand of a convicted felon on his way to prison as was the case with Monsignor Arsenault? It speaks volumes about the dark matter of this case that has not been carried out in the light of day. We need the truth, Father!

I heard something very disturbing about this case today. It was sent to me by a well known New Hampshire defense lawyer who is not directly involved in this. This is a direct quote: “New Hampshire has never had a case overturned on the basis of actual innocence, and doesn’t want to, and NH prosecutors and judges are doing everything possible to prevent it.” In the light of the NH court’s refusal to hold a hearing on this case, and the NH Supreme Court’s refusal to even read it, I found this attorney’s remark to be shocking.

I am deeply grieved and wounded by the mistreatment heaped upon Father MacRae. It is directly related to Our Lord and Savior’s mock trial at the hands of the “church authorities” and then the civil authorities i.e. Roman Empire. Our Blessed Lord said “if they do this in the greenwood, what will they do in the dry?” Father MacRae is a victim soul, and is providing incalculable intercessory graces for each of us and the entire Church. As an aside, over thirty years ago we as a family added this request at the end of our grace before meals,….”and bless all the captives in the world and bless all the priests in the world.” We still use that petition as a close to our saying grace; we didn’t know we were praying for Father MacRae in addition to the others in most need. Finally, our Pastor two Sundays ago taught us a short prayer to combat our anger and resentments we encounter daily, it has already helped me greatly in overcoming my fiery outbursts. Father Maurice Harrigan asked us to use the following petition when wronged; ” Jesus, I forgive, please forgive me!”
Lord, bless all the captives in the world and all the Priests in the world!

This is sheer insanity. Pope Francis has said very recently that bishops have to return to being pastors. He is right! Even is Fr. MacRae was guilty these kinds of actions would be objectionable, how much more objectionable are they considering the travesty of justice Fr. MacRae had to endure to say nothing of the two decades in prison.

What does this say about the spiritual health of those involved in these maneuvers!? Forgive me if I offend anyone but I think our Holy Father has to look into all this. I have written an open letter to Pope Francis, something some may consider silly or even disrespectful but having endured similar circumstances in my youth I can completely empathize with Fr. MacRae. I pledge my prayers and any worthwhile effort I can make for the correction of this evil.

At this time of Lent Father and those who work hard to have justice served in this case are in my prayers. God bless you and Keep you, Fr. Gordon. Remember that we are destined to a freedom unknown to mankind: the glorious freedom of the sons of God.

I agree with you, Carlos Caso-Rosendi, this is insanity. America praises it’s superior justice system – but fails to do justice! It is so very hard for me to keep from being angry at US Justice when travesties of this kind are allowed to continue unchecked. What happened to the belief that it is better for 100 guilty persons to go free, than to have one innocent person be imprisoned.

But, I am even more angry that the Church I love so much continues to harbor those bishops or priests who deliberately cause so much harm to others under the sacred umbrella of ordination. This is the same kind of avarice that preceded the Reformation – what will it do next?

The most difficult command that Jesus made, “…love your enemies.” I keep trying, but I must make that choice every day or I will succumb to the anger that rises up in my soul.

It is easy to get upset when contemplating such injustice but we must remember “the ire of man does not work the justice of God” and keep praying. Fr. Gordon MacRae may very well be a saint destined to suffer for the Lord in this way but that does not relieve us as his brothers and sisters in the faith from seeking relief for him. We must redouble our prayers and continue pressing for justice both in the US and International courts.

Thank you once again Ryan.
Let me tell you it is so difficult not to say hooray in the case of Msgr. Arsenault. My faith teaches me to realize that he is a sinner just as we all are and he should be prayed for. I would hope that when he is in prison with Fr. Gordon that he will finally have the realization that he has changed this man’s life forever with his unjust inactions just as he has ruined a beautiful gift from God, his priesthood, his own life, with his actions. Ironically, Fr. Gordon’s priesthood has blossomed, not diminished, in prison.
I pray every day that fr. Gordon will be allowed to serve the Lord as free man outside of these stone walls.
God’s blessings always, Jeannie
p.s. to Fr.G: I will get that letter to you Father! Thank you for the blessing!

Here is the text of an open letter to Pope Francis. Please feel free to reproduce in other blogs or as printed matter. I have sent it through other channels available, the idea is that someone close to the Pope will eventually call his attention to this matter.

Here are the three versions in English, Spanish, and Portuguese with their links.

This is just insane. Thank you, Ryan, for all your help. God will not be outdone in His generosity.

But I trust in God’s plan. He has His eyes on those poor souls in prison who would otherwise have been lost had it not been because of Fr Gordon’s presence there. And for all of us, his ‘virtual parishioners’.

All these years.

Father, not a single day or night, or moment of your incarceration is lost. They have borne good fruits that you might not know this side of heaven. Just a few days ago, I read somewhere that those who are imprisoned unjustly are very close to the Heart of Our Lord, because He Himself shares in their plight.

Asking for your priestly blessings for me and my family, Father G.
Domingo

This individual who says Fr. MacRae is not innocent must be ignorant or can’t see beyond his nose. I have been a ardent fan of Fr. MacRae for a good while and know deep in my heart he is innocent. His posts are amazing and are for me an inspiration and I am sure to many others. I still l don’t know why it is taking so long for a new trial unless the forces of evil are still at work in Manchester. Maybe God wants Father MacRae to administer to the inmates. But cant he be free and do this also? Our prayers are still being said for you, Father.

I am a bit puzzled by something in this article:
Roughly halfway through, this article declares that Msgr Arsenault set forth a policy regarding the rights and responsibilities of those accused of abuse. Immediately following this, this article blasts Msgr Arsenault for having failed to extend these rights to Father MacRae.Reading the list of policy intentions, I see no mention at all of concerns related to previous convictions; it appears rather to be a typical statement describing how accusations will be handled in the future.
If this policy wasn’t in place until sometime in 2001, but Fr MacRae’s trial and conviction happened in 1994, 7 years earlier, why would the author get up in arms about Msgr Arsenault’s actions?
If it’s the case the injustice has been inflicted, even with Msgr Arsenault’s “help”, then by all means, let’s be gravely concerned about that. If civil law has been used unjustly, let’s certainly be gravely concerned about THAT too. But let’s make sure that we’re not expecting officials to handle concerns that actually fall outside the scope of their apparent offices.

I see nothing in the article that even hints at the idea that Msgr Arsenault had any involvement with Fr MacRae’s case beyond acknowledging that a formerly active priest of the Diocese had been jailed after being convicted of a crime.
(Please don’t take that to mean I think Fr MacRae deserved what he got or that Msgr Arsenault has no guilt. Let’s please make sure, though, that we’re making our demands within the scope of what Msgr Arsenault actually had assigned responsibilities to do.)

I’m glad John raised this issue. It may make more sense to readers if they click on a previous article of mine entitled: “Bishop Takes Pawn: Plundering the Rights of a Prisoner Priest” which is linked in this post. Msgr. Arsenault’s footprint on the MacRae case is far deeper than most may imagine. Yes it is true, that MacRae was sent to prison several years before Msgr. Arsenault wrote this policy. However the policy statement about rights does not refer to matters before civil or criminal courts but rather matters pending before the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, the Dicastery that retains competence in the adjudication of matters referred by individual bishops and dioceses after the Dallas Charter. Msgr. Arsenault, as bishop’s delegate, was required to submit cases to the CDF from 2002 onward, applying the very principles laid out in his statement of rights. The CDF has presupposed that each diocese sending a case has conducted a preliminary investigation which also protects the rights of the individual priest accused. No such investigation ever took place in the MacRae case, and it is my well-informed belief that the claims against this priest were labeled “credible” in Rome because Msgr. Arsenault mediated financial settlements. I do not have firsthand information about the quality of due process for many of the other Manchester priests so accused, but I believe Father MacRae was treated differently because he was the only Manchester priest who maintained his innocence. Thus posing a challenge in a diocese where settlement is the only real goal. This is an example of how priests like Father MacRae can be up against a monstrous machine of litigation. He has had to simultaneously defend himself in criminal, civil, and then canonical venues while due process was simply obliterated in each. I stand by my contention that in the MacRae case alone, canonical due process rights were ignored after being published by Msgr. Arsenault on behalf of the Bishop of Manchester.

Thank you for the excellent coverage of what Fr. MacCrae has been exposed to as a falsely accused priest. Surely it must be God’s Will that has Msgr. Arsenault incarcerated in the same prison as Fr. MacRae. We can only pray and hope that Monseignor’s heart with be softened by repentance as Father offers him Christ’s forgiveness and. unconditional love.

Dear St. Anthony,
I am imprisoned by walls of selfishness,
prejudice, suspicion.
I am enslaved by human respect and the fear of other people’s opinions of me.
St. Anthony, Liberator of Prisoners,
tear down my prison walls.
Break the chains that hold me captive.
Make me free with the freedom Christ has won for me.
To your powerful intercession I also recommend these intentions:
For the soon liberation of Father Gordon McRae and all priests victims of the evil intentions and ambitions of a so secular world.
Oh Almighty God,
transform all Father Gordon McRae’s enemies with the Passion of your Love. In the name of The Father, The Son and the Holy Spirit.

Oh Mother of God, Mary, protect with you Heavenly Mantle the life of all those priest, victims of the injustices of a secular world. pray for them oh Most Holy Mother of God and our Mother. Amen.

Fr M. is not the only priest to have been treated in this horrible way. I know several . I sometimes wonder if the rapid and vast payments made to people who are at best dubious and at worst common blackmailers are because the diocesan officials themselves are guilty and this is a good way to deflect suspicion. Diocesan officials are so heartless and corrupt ..even if sodomy is not their crime …that one wonders what they are hiding. This is said more in great sadness than anger…but I have no other forum for defending other priest friends who have fallen foul of their diocesan officials.

I just wonder how many of the Manchester Diocese priests will visit Msgr. Arsenault in prison. I wonder if he is reading Fr. MacRae’s blog to see what he will be eating. Who is paying for Msgr. Arsenault’s lawyer?

This post had the effect of bringing out the full range of my emotions: from weeping, once again, to think of the betrayal that Fr. MacRae has suffered, anger, pity for Msgr. Arsenault, and finally the realization that I have to pray for Msgr. Arsenault as much as it is distasteful for me to do so.

Thankfully, we have God’s mercy and justice.
Fr. Gordon, you and Pornchai are in my prayers always.